Jacob (1725) Eiman lived in Donnersburg,
Germany prior to his immigration (this is a possible residence) between
1730-1749. He lived in Philadelphia Twp, Pa in 1749. He immigrated to
the U.S. on the "St. Andrews" from Rotterdam, Netherlands, stopping in
Plymouth, England; arrived in Philadelphia. Name listed as Jacob Eiman
on 9 Sept 1749. He lived in Bethel Twp, Lancaster (now Daupin) Co., PA: a
Jacob Eighman is listed in 1771. He served in the military in Bet
1775-1784, Nov or Dec 1775 (Enlisted as a Private in the Lancaster Co.
militia under Capt. James Murray's Company, Col. James Burd's Fourth
Battalion of Lancaster County.

9 Sept 1949 upon arrival in
America, Jacob moved several times. It is unclear whether he brought
his wife or met and married her in PA, although a 1864 genealogy of
Peter Eyman indicates that they were married in 1746 before immigration.
Jacob took a land partnership with Jacob Raeif (farmeer and
distiller)in Upper Paxtang Twp.. Lancaster (now Dauphin) Co., PA. The
warrent that interest had been paid on that hundred acres along Clark's
Creek since 1770. The land was not surveyed nor was the land grant
formalized until August of 1787, after which, it seems that the land was
sold between then and 1801 to a Jacob Hutts. The 1787 warrent suggest
that the land adjoined grants for James Manama, Ludwig Melsher (various
spellings noted, although Ludwig used Minsker.Historians often refer to
him as Maksker. Many stories are written of him.) Thomas Carn (sometimes
called Kern) and James McNamara, who like the Eymans, served as a
private in James Burd's Battalion, although McNamara served under
Captain James Cowden. By 1787 McNamara had sold his property to Ludwig
Mansker. Between 1787 and 1800, a William Clark had taken possession of
the lands earlier owned by Thomas Kern (Carn/Cairn) adjacent to the
lands previously of the Eyman/Raief warrent. Most likely this was the
Clark after whom the valley and creek were named. This is one of the
famous William Clarks of which there are three of that family who served
America in many capacities.

While Jacob and his family
lived in the area, Upper Paztang settlers were often attacked in Indian
raids. Adjacent to the Eyman property was a John Elder (listed in 1779
Upper Paztang tax rolls). John was a preacher of the gospel and
developed a Donegal Presbytery, which subsequently divided off to a
Paxtang congregation. He took his "leadership of the flock" seriously
and provided direction of political and military affairs as well as
spiritual ones. In the face of the Indian difficulties he trained some
of his congregation as scouts. He superintended the disipline of his men
and mounted rangers, who became widely known as the "Paxtang Boys".
During two summers at least, in the early 1760s, his parishioners went
to church armed. The settlers were perplexed and angry by the lack of
action on the part of the Quaker politicians and took steps of their
own, which alarmed many and provoked widespread discussion. During the
later part of the summer of 1763, amny murders were committed,
culminating in the distruction of the Indians on Conestoga Manor at
Lancaster. Although the men who exterminated the Indians were thought to
have been part of the Paxtang Boys, it was never proven that Rev. Elder
had previous knowledge of the plot, though Quaker pamphleteers of the
day charged him with aiding and abetting those who took part in these
acts. The Quaker authorities denounced the frontiersmen as "riotous and
murderous Irish Presbyterians". John Elder took sides with the border
inhabitants and sought to condone the deeds as noted in his many
writings afterwards.

The "Paxtang Boys Affair" is seen by
some quarters as having influenced the onset of the revolutio. In 1774
meetings were held in different townships, the resolvesof only two of
which are preserved. The earliest was that of an assembly of the
inhabitants of Hanover(now Dauphin). These "Hanover Resolves" struck a
note of safeguarding liberty and a committe was nominated to act on the
general populations behalf, asemergencies may require. Elected to that
committee was the William Clark mentioned earlier.

30 June
1775bduring a Parliamentary Assembly of PA, deputies, it was resolved
"That this House approves the association entered into by the good
people of this colony for the defense of their lives, liberties, and
property". A Committee of Safety, consisting of 25 citizens, was
appointed and authorized to call into active service such number of the
"associators" as they may deem proper. Organizations of "associators"
were formed in most, if not all, the counties. The committee organized
July 3rd by the choice of Benjamin Franklin, president. Congress, July
18, recommended that all able bodied effective men between sixteen and
fifty years of age should immediately form themselves into companies of
militia to consist of one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four
sergeants, four corporals, one clerk, one drummer, one fifer, and about
sixty-eight privates. The companies to be formed into regiments or
battalions, officered with a colonel... Congress, June 14, 1775,
authorized the raising of six companies of expert fiflemen in PA, two in
Maryland, and two in Virginia to join the army near Boston. On the 22nd
the "Colony of Pennsylvania" was directed to raise two more companies
making eight in all, which were to be formed into a battalion. Lancaster
County furnished two companies instead of one... This battalion was the
first unit raised in the area. This description is offerd to provide a
basis for how and why Troops were enlisted in the area and it serves as
a prelude to the later formation of the 4th Battalion, which also
included men of Lancaster Co., among which were the Eyemans .

Nov
or Dec 1775 Jacob and his sons Jacob, Jr. and Christian volunteered in
the militia, quite early and before strong pressures of muster began in
1776. Important items to note are that the Eymans were not serving with
German speakers, but with neighbors who were of predominately Scottish
and Irish backgrounds. This company of vounteers was among the veery
first in the area and in the nation to get into the field battle. They
also seem not to have been concerned about fighting to protect the
community based on religious restrictions. There is some evidence that
they avoided some subsequent calls to duty, with both Jacob (Jr. ?) and
Christian paying fines. Son Peter Eyman enlisted around 1781 also
serving under Captain James Murray.

Captain
Murray was captured by the British at the battle of Long Island, NY in
1776 (possobly held on a British prison-ship and later released (5
months) in aprisoner exchange along with others captured in that
engagement, including Maj. William Henderson). Willian Bell, Sr.
promoted to Captain, serving in the retreat from Brooklyn, Harlem
Heights, Fort Lee. His company was then surprised at Fort Washington, a
horrific loss for the Patriots with many killed and captured, including
crucial weapons and supplies. A detailed accounting was later provided
listing the loss of guns, powder horns and blankets. Jacob and or his
son Jacob, Jr. is said to have suffered the loss of pouch and horn
during this engagement on 16 Nov 1776 ("the reduction of Fort
Washington"). Affirmation of the losses certified by Capt. James Cowden 8
Aug 1777.

Jacob, Jacob, Jr. and Christian are noted to
have participated in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, NJ. They
accompanied General George Washington during the famous crossing of the
partiaaly frozen Delaware river on Christmas night, 25 Dec. 1776 daring a
surprise raid on the Hessian mercenary encampment in Trenton. With only
a portion part of his planned forces, the remainder either unable to
make the crossing or not in time, Washington determined to press on with
the attack on the morning of the 26th, catching the unsuspecting
German's fully off guard as hoped, duled into a false sense of security
resulting from their previous days Christmas celebration, completely
routing the enemy and winning a much needed critical victory for
Washington and his troops. The Patriots recrossed the river back into
PA., but Washington, upon discovering that the British were sending a
reactionary force against him from their position in Princeton,
immediately reformed his forces, crossing over once more into Trenton
then marched a parallel path towards Princeton in an attempt to perform a
flanking attack against the rear guard of the very forces that were
indeed being sent towards him. Washington and his highly outnumbered
troops out-manoeuvered their foes, scoring another successive victory,
this time against the shocked British, 3 Jan 177.

6 Nov
1778 Jacob Eyeman (Eylman) signed an Oath of Allegiance in Town of
Lancaster, Lancaster Co. He is also shown that year as Jacob Eyman in
the Military card file. Signing this type of oath was often required of
foreign born soldiers. In 1793 there is an apparent Dauphin Co., PA
record of Letters of Administration for a settlement of jacob's estate
granted for his wife Catherine Emen to Jacob Emen (Jr.). Once
completed it appears that Jacob Jr. left to join his brothers in Hardy
Co., VA (now WV).

Samstag, 25. April 2015

Some days ago, after having received a fresh backup of the genealogical data from Wolfgang, I took up research again. Trying to avoid Anc* and MyHe* for uploading the fresh data, so that everybody in the family can benefit from the data without having to pay for it, I discovered Wikitree. However, Wikitree does not allow me to upload GEDCOM, and it requires to give proper sources for each data entered.

Familysearch does also have a new and better look, and thus I turned there to get some credible source material. My main interest currently is to better sort out who emigrated from Steffisburg, and who was left back. We know from Ernst Müllers "Geschichte der bernischen Täufer" that 1671 a large group of 700 anabaptists emigrated, and that Hans, Hans and Ulrich Eymann were part of that group. What we don't know, is how they were related to each other (current guess is that Hans and Hans were father and son, and Ulrich is a brother of the father).

So I turned to Familysearch to check for Eymann entries in official documents in the 1600s in Switzerland. There are only 4 entries. Disappointing. Let us check again, and relax the writing of the name; at that time, only a few people could write and they would note the name as they heard it. Let's try for Eiman, in the 1600s. Success! There are several entries in Steffisburg! We have one name we already know, that is Hans Eiman b.1623 m. Anna Opliger. And we have Hans Eiman b. 1630 m. Katharina Roth. Which one is the Hans who emigrated? The entries here are for child baptism's; were they anabaptists, or not?

Out of curiosity, I tried to search for the first sources for Germany. I expected to find the first Swiss emigrant's children in Ibersheimer Hof or Sioner Hof for about 1670s/1680s, and some Alfhausen Eymann's some time earlier. Imagine my surprise, when I found an entry for the baptism of Anna Eymann, b. 1585, in a small town near Stuttgart. Does that mean that there is another family with the same surname in Germany, or is that an earlier emigration?

An obituary for Jacob S. Eyman, Halstead, Kansas, d. June 29, 1916, and a record entry for Joseph L. Eyman,
El Dorado, Kansas, from “A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans”,
written and compiled by William E. Connelley, Secretary of the Kansas
State Historical Society, Topeka. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company,
copyright 1918; transcribed 1997.

History of the State of California and an Extended History of its Southern Coast Counties. By James Miller Guinn, Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1907 . Calif. State Library History Room (RR). Call Number: [Alcove] 979.4G9 – 2 – Book NC. Eymann, Walter C Page 1782

WALTER
C. EYMANN. Prominent among the highly esteemed and influential citizens
of Ocean Park is Walter C. Eymann, a practical business man and a
leading real-estate dealer, who has been an important factor in
promoting the rapid growth of this beautiful coast city, and a liberal
contributor towards the establishment of its varied enterprises.
Distinguished not only as a native-born son of California, but for the
honored ancestry from which he traces his lineage, he occupies a
conspicuous position in the annals of Los Angeles county, and no person
is more worthy than he of representation in a work of this kind. A son
of Charles F. Eymann, M.D., he was born November 3, 1867, in Anaheim,
Orange county. The Eymann family has long been prominent in Germany,
among its members being doctors, lawyers and merchants of distinction,
one of its members having served as court physician to the Czar of
Russia.

A
native of Germany, Charles F. Eymann was born, reared and educated in
Oldenburg, the home of many of his ancestors. Immigrating to the United
States when a young man, he continued his studies in the medical college
at Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequently going overland to California, he
engaged in mining and prospecting with unusual success, amassing a
fortune. As banks were unsafe in those days it was customary to bury
money; one day he returned and was bitterly disappointed to find that
some one had visited the spot where he had secreted his wealth, and
robbed him. Afterwards settling in San Francisco, he built up a
substantial business as a merchant, and became a large property owner.
He married Amalia Hammes, whose father, Philip Hammes, immigrated to San
Francisco from Germany in 1856, and there followed his trade of
watchmaker, clockmaker and jeweler until his removal to Anaheim with the
original German colony.

Leaving
school when about sixteen year of age, Walter C. Eymann assumed charge
of the vineyard of thirty-three acres, managing it successfully until
the destruction of the vines by a disease that killed all of the
vineyards of that locality and ruined the wine industry. He subsequently
took a course of study at Heald’s Business College, after which he was a
resident of San Francisco for two and one-half years, being employed as
collector, salesman and bookkeeper, first for Hueter Brothers, and
later for the Bass-Hueter Paint Company. Going then to Europe, he
visited a favorite aunt at the home of his ancestors, after which he
traveled extensively on the continent, visiting the principal art
galleries, and other places of interest.

On
returning to California, Mr. Eymann settled near Anaheim, on land left
him by his father, and at once began its improvement, in the course of a
few years developing a valuable walnut grove. He built a fine house and
substantial farm buildings, making noteworthy improvements. This place
he sold in November,1904, realizing a handsome profit from his
expenditure of time and money. Coming to Ocean Park, he bought the
Summerheim flats, which he has since managed, and continued in the
real-estate business, with which he had previously been associated for
three years. In the spring of 1905 he opened a real-estate office in the
city of Los Angeles, but this he abandoned when the beach cities began
to show signs of life and activity and has since maintained and office
on ocean front. He not only deals in Southern California property, but
also handles northern lands, owning property in the San Joaquin valley
and Tulare county.

Mr.
Eymann is a man of great inventive talent as well as a business man of
ability. In 1895 he received from the United States government a patent
that he then possessed, it being a valuable invention utilizing a
combination of goal and gas ranges. In introducing it to the public he
traveled over one-half of the states of the Union, and from the royalty
now given him by its manufacturers, the J. L. Mott Iron Works Company,
of New York City, he receives a good annual income. He also has other
incomplete inventions, one contemplated one being the taking of electric
currents from the earth using them in stationary engines. He is an
expert in oil and water, and acted in this capacity in Southern
California for a number of years, always with satisfactory results. He
is a fine business man, and has acquired extensive property interests in
Ocean Park, San Joaquin valley and Tulare county.

In
Europe in 1894, Mr. Eymann married Dorothea H. Schellens, daughter of
Richard Schellens, noted railway man, who is a government director of
all the railroads in the Rhine provinces, and an inventor of the
Schellens railway train blocking devices. Mr. And Mrs. Eymann has one
child, Gilbert H. W. Eymann. Fraternally Mr. Eymann is a member of the
Independent Order of Foresters.

Swiss Mennonite History,
covering emigration from Berne to the Palatinate, Alsace, Montbeliard
and Volhynia, by the Swiss Mennonite Historical and Cultural
Association. You can find related information on the emigration history
and the settlement places also here (Judy Voran) and here (MSHC). If you are interested in the differences between Mennonite and Amish, this text from Goshen College gives some detailed information.

The Ellis Island Foundation holds
records for immigrants starting from ca. 1890. If you click on this
link, you can see a result list for searching the Eymann surname (and
related spellings).

The Cemetery Transcription Library has a list of transcribed epitaphs from tombstones. Here are the links for searching “Eyman” or “Eymann” against this list.

The
history of the Eymann family is closely intertwined with the history of
the european anabaptists themselves. A profound summary about this history can be found in "The Story of the Mennonites" by C. Henry Smith,
Newton, Kansas, 1957 (This book is also available in german: "Die
Geschichte der Mennoniten Europas", ebda., 1964). The part about the
historical background of the palatinate emigration is excerpted from the
Website of Kraig Ruckel (http://www.cc.utah.edu/~pdp7277/palatine.html).

The
roots of the anabaptist movement lie in the swiss city of Zurich, in
the year 1523. Ulrich Zwingli developed his idea of a reformed faith;
several of his radical followers split the group in 1525 and established
an own branch with the main claim of a full segregation of church and
government. This made them the radical left wing of all confessions of
that era and is the reason for most of the persecution in the centuries
to follow.

The
first appearance of the Eymann name is in the village of Steffisburg
near Thun/Berne in Switzerland. Here are two brothers mentioned; the
elder one, Steffen, was born in 1533. From this point we are able to
trace the family history unbroken until today, apart from lost branches.
In that area of the southern Emmental (valley of the river Emme) there
are today still anabaptist communities, the most famous in the village
of Linden. Today a part of Linden, Oberdiessbach is considered to be the
true hometown of the Eymann family; there can be found a small estate
named "Ey" (medieval german: by the meadow). These villages are very
remote and hidden in the mountains and gave shelter for the century of
persecution to come.

The
anabaptist movement spread in that time over the neighbouring
countries, especially along the river Rhine as one of the biggest
european trade routes. Several communities grew between 1525 and 1535,
the most prominent ones in Strassburg (Elsass) and the Lower Rhine area
(The Netherlands and Muenster in northwest Germany). After the fall of
the infamous Taeuferreich in Muenster 1535, persecution got worse,
although the Muenster incidents are considered not typical for the
non-violent characteristic of the Anabaptists; but that was not the era
of making fine differences... Menno Simons, a Dutch, who gave the
movement its today known name of "Mennonites", appears as a missionary
in 1536 and worked his whole life in northern germany, while the swiss
anabaptists are known as "Taeufer" or "Taufgesinnte" until today (not as
"Mennonites").

In
the canton of Berne, the government issued a final ban edict in 1659,
after a century of persecution and martyrdom. The dutch Mennonites, at
that time the most established group in Europe, tried politically and
financially to intervene. But nonetheless the swiss Anabaptists were
expropriated and banished from their homes. The worst year was 1671,
when 700 people were exiled. About 100 from them went towards the
Elsass, the rest into the Palatinate; the latter followed an invitation
by the government, which intended to repopulate the devastated (by the
30-year-war) country.

1671
also Hans, Hans II. and Ulrich Eymann left Oberdiessbach with most of
their families and moved first to Niederroedern near
Weissenburg/Wissembourg in northern Elsass on the left Rhine bank. Some
months later they moved again for an unknown reason and finally settled
in Ibersheim near Worms in the Palatinate. The restless times with small
wars between France and his european enemies in the 17th century
(beginning in 1688) lead to restless families, and so the immigrants
moved twice again until they finally stayed around the Donnersberg
mountain north of Kaiserslautern.Other family members emigrated to the
Netherlands and to America in the west, and to the Banat and Galizia in
eastern Europe.

The
winter of 1708-1709 was very long and cold in the Rhineland. It was a
very bleak period. People huddled around their fires as they considered
quitting their homes and farms forever. By early April, the land was
still frozen and most of the Palatines' vines had been killed by the
bitter weather. Since 1702 their country had been enduring war and there
was little hope for the future. The Thirty Years War lay heavy on their
minds, a period in which one out of every three Germans had perished.

The
Palatines were heavily taxed and endured religious persecution. As the
people considered their future, the older ones remembered that, in 1677,
William Penn had visited the area, encouraging the people to go to
Pennsylvania in America, a place where a man and his family could be
free of the problems they were now encountering.

To
go to America meant a long, dreadful ocean voyage and a future in an
unknown land, away from their past and family. Everyone knew that the
German Elector would stop any migration as soon as it was noticed. Only a
mass exodus from the Palatinate could be successful. Many wondered how
they could ever finance such a journey even if they wanted to attempt
it. Small boats, known as scows, would have to be acquired for the long
ride down the Rhine River and then there was the price for the ocean
voyage. While some of the people had relatives that could assist them
financially, many were very poor. Soon enough, their minds were made up
for them as France's King Louis XIV invaded their land, ravaging
especially the towns in the Lower Palatinate.

In
masses, the Palatines boarded their small boats and headed down the
Rhine for Rotterdam. It was April 1709 and the first parties were afloat
on the Rhine, many with only their most basic goods and their faith in
God as their only possessions. The river voyage took an average of 4-6
weeks through extremely cold, bitter weather. By June, 1709, the people
streamed into Rotterdam at a rate of one thousand per week. The Elector,
as expected, issued an edict forbidding the migration, but almost
everyone ignored it. By October, 1709, more than 10,000 Palatines had
completed the Rhine River journey.

Streams
of Palatines went to America, with most going to Pennsylvania. The
ocean voyage was harsh, with over-crowded, under-supplied, and
unsanitary ships. What provisons were supplied were generally the least
expensive available to the ship's master. Water frequently ran out, as
did food. Dreadful mortality occurred on many voyages. In addition to
those woes, the Palatines faced robbery, deception, and worse from those
transporting them.

Estimates
on the number of Germans in Pennsylvania during this period varies from
author to author, but a common estimate is 10,000-15,000 by 1727 and
70,000-80,000 by 1750. A good source for reviewing German arrivals to
Pennsylvania is Rupp's "Thirty Thousand Immigrants in Pennsylvania"
which contains numerous ship passenger lists and has an excellent
surname index. Another good resource is Walter Knittle's "Early
Eighteenth-Century Palatine Emigration". Immigrants not only came from
Germany, but also Bohemia and Switzerland. Most were either Lutheran,
Reformed, or Mennonite in religious belief.

The
transatlantic emigration continued with parts of the family for two
centuries to come. Most of the emigrants to America left Europe in Le
Havre and Rotterdam. In America they appeared first in Pennsylvania,
then moved further west to Indiana and Ohio. Some of them fought in the
Indepence Wars. Today they are spread over the whole United States.

The
author descends directly from those Palatinate families. The american
immigrants often disappear from our genealogy and can not be further
traced; we would welcome anybody who can trace his Eymann family back to
immigration. Please write - the sheer quantity of our genealogic
material makes it impossible for us to send self-speaking documents at
the moment, but we would love to share our material when specified. As
you can see by the very rough history above, we are currently in the
hunter-and-collector-phase; if anybody with profound historical
knowledge can contribute to that "moving" family history of ours, we
would be very thankful.

Some open questions still remain:

The
oldest records about an Eymann family are found in the church-records
and stock-books of the village of Alfhausen near Osnabrueck in northwest
Germany. There lies, at the road to Bramsche, a large farm, the Eymann
farm; although it is not possible to prove the direct relation to our
family yet, it can be assumed that the Eymann family originally descends
from this farm. One can also guess that by the derivation of the name
itself. The Eymann farm is quoted in the stock-books way back in 1350;
it was called "tor Eye" (medieval german: by the meadow). The farm was
an estate in fee. In 1490, Hanneke "tor Eye" owned 5 horses, 2 oxen, 5
cows, 6 cattle, 14 pigs and 5 sheep and paid a feudal 'cattle tax' of
one Taler and four Schillinge. Alfhausen was at that time part of the
bishopric Osnabrueck. There still exists a catholic Eymann family in
that area, but there is no connection yet between the two genealogies.
The swiss Eymanns are said to have immigrated themselves before 1535,
but from here? Or is it pure coincidence with the same name; the
heraldic shield shows an egg, leading to the supposition of rooting the
name in "Ei" rather than in "Ey", a craft rather than a geographic
description? Why should anyone emigrate to a country of Berne where
persecution was worse than at home, the alternative of the Netherlands
only a 100km away?

The similar problem occurs with a lutheran family Eymann in Saxony, whose history is yet completely unknown.